Hagalaz, the ninth in the Elder Futhark rune row, symbolizes a hailstone at its basest level, thus its six-pattern shape, as in the Armanen rune Hagal, (equivalent to the Elder Futhark rune Hagalaz).

If we look to the Anglo-Saxon rune poems, which gives us great insight from our ancestors, we see it talks of Haegl (Hagalaz) thusly:

“Hail is the whitest of grain;

it is whirled from the vault of heaven and is tossed about by gusts of wind and then it melts into water.”

If you would like to delve deeper into the runes and their meanings, and I suggest you do, Futhark written by Edred Thorsson is considered by many, including myself, to be the best starting point to do so, and it’s an excellent book even if you’re not a beginner.

I constantly use it for references, and to re-read time and again.

Instead, as is the point of my blog here at Grasp Fire, I care to relate that ancient wisdom of our ancestors, to modern on goings in our life and society.

When someone plays a game, it is common sense that you learn by playing against the best opponent possible.

It’s proven that you will become better, through being beaten by them.

If you left yourself untested, by either picking on weaker opponents, or not playing the game, fighting, or whatever it may be, you would never grow.

That is precisely what some folks on the extreme left are choosing to do.

They don’t want their ideology to be questioned, and when their ideology goes unquestioned, because they call you a “Nazi, fascist”, insert variable school yard insult if you do challenge their ideology, then it goes untested.

If it goes untested, it can’t grow.

There’s no room for evolution.

In this way, the hailstone never melts into the life-giving water, because it doesn’t meet the resistance it was meant to (Think Nifelheim meeting Musphelheim, ice and fire, meeting in the cosmic void Ginnungagap).

As the great poet William Blake said: “Without Contraries is no progression.

Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.”

It’s crucial that we to lose, humbly, and grow from our loss, to evolve in life, so that we eventually can win (though winning isn’t necessarily the goal either, but rather growing, evolving, learning).

We need water to flow, and the way it flows, is by bouncing an idea off someone else, be challenged by their opinions, and then oneself can evolve for the better.

Even if you disagree with what another says, it can make your argument stronger, or you can at times learn that you are even wrong in some facet, or completely.

Imagine that.

Yes, it is possible to learn from your enemies, in fact I daresay it would be impossible to not learn.

If you force others to conform, then no one is learning, and that is called totalitarianism, not liberalism.

The only thing that’s possible from this is Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of motion: “To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction: or the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal, and directed to contrary parts.”

IE, you punch me, I punch you back.

That doesn’t seem like it’s going to get us very far, now does it?

Unless of course you’re training to be a fighter, then the analogy would be, fighting your shadow won’t get you very far, because you need the resistance from fighting an opponent, and the experience, just like in an argument or discussion.

If an ideology remains unquestioned, being forced upon us, through ads, or “social justice warriors”, etc., then again, we get totalitarianism.

“Do this or else”.

Or else, that’s something an unskilled parent, or bully threatens their children with.

Insert variable silly threat if you need, but when you get down to the root of it, that’s what is going on here.

Whereas the unskilled parent might use the old adage, if you do this, I’ll ground you, take away your toy…

No, folks, instead we must have intelligent arguments, discussions, where we both grow, together or apart, but if we can keep things civil, and find a formidable opponent intellectually, we will all evolve as human beings, instead of descending back into the horrors of another dark age, which is precisely what I see some choices potentially leading to on our current path, if humans can’t seem to get their brain to function properly.

Although, the human head is the strongest bone in our bodies, and headbutting is quite efficient, it does serve other purposes, such as philosophical thought, and imagination.

Sadly, I have seen many children’s episodes lately that make me think… there are a lot of adults whom would benefit from these very rudimentary moral notions.

We need to work together with others, not everyone is the same, and that’s okay.

Celebrate your heritage.

By not being allowed to do so, through this globalization attempt to mold everyone into a robot, we’re losing that opponent to sharpen our mental skills against.

Whether we completely disagree with their opinions, ideology, or just a small point, we can’t all always agree with one another.

Don’t be to proud to be wrong, much good can come from it, if we are willing to learn.

In fact, I don’t think anyone can ever agree on everything 100 percent of the time.

To me, that’s a terribly frightening thought if we did.

We might be connected through the Web of Wyrd, but we are not all attached at the hip, or rather brain.

No, I think it’s more being force-fed a lie, and it becomes contagious, until it’s accepted as truth, by force.

In closing, let us find benefit from the chaos of the hailstone instead of fearing it, and through it, find that life-giving water which it melts to bring, which is so scared to all walks of life.

The only safe space is within yourself, and that’s the only one you will ever need.

Make use of it, for it can come in handy, but don’t let it become a prison.

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I have practiced meditation since I was about 15 years old, but not until connected breathwork did I truly begin to know, synchronicity.

Countless nights I could be found outside, in the dark, laying on my driveway, on three acres, only to wake up with numerous bites of all sizes, from no telling what kind of spiders or other bugs.

I hadn’t noticed, but the next morning when I was itchy, I did.

I lucked out that I hadn’t been bitten by a deadly scorpion or black widow, to my knowledge, but it’s good to get back to nature, and if you believe in karma, fate, ‘when it’s your time, it’s your time’, Wyrd, or any of that then it doesn’t matter anyways, and you should live your life to the fullest, with regards to repercussions for your actions, and how they could potentially affect others.

That all being said, after 15 years of meditation, I finally stumbled upon connected breathwork, and am fortunate enough to have taken 10 separate hour-long classes with a masterful teacher of the art, the esteemed Dave Lee.

You would think after such a long time having practiced meditation, at such great intervals of time, that there wouldn’t be much left to learn.

After all, it’s “just” breathing, and I had no trouble meditating for prolonged periods of time.

I didn’t need any work, my skills didn’t need sharpening, and yet this new artform of connected breathwork was something I hadn’t tried, and I heard many good things about.

I simply had to try.

After one class, I was blown away.

All these years of meditation was in preparation for this moment.

I haven’t enough words to describe to you how beneficial connected breathwork can be for someone.

You can read all the testimonials on Dave’s website yet you really won’t know how profound of an experience it is until you’ve tried it for yourself.

Even having spent 10 hours learning from him, I would love to have another session any day, as I assure you it’s severally beneficial, and I had profound experiences that helped me grow immensely.

Now Dave lives in England, and unfortunately, I’ve yet to make that trek, though I would absolutely love to, to say the least.

No, but I was lucky enough to engage with Dave via Skype.

I’m not sure he offers Skype sessions anymore, as I don’t see that option on his website, luckily for you though he has Connect Your Breath! available on the topic, but you can contact him to find out if he might make an exception for Skype as he did with me.

While I haven’t read Life Force yet, I have read another of his books entitled Bright From The Well, and anyone whom is interested in the Norse Sagas, great literature, fiction, storytelling, magic, rune poems, or anything Germanic related, absolutely must have this book.

The stories revolve around themes from Norse myth- the marriage of Frey and Gerd, the story of how Gullveig-Heidh reveals her powers to the gods, a modern take on the social-origins myth Rig’s Tale, Loki attending a pagan pub moot and the Ragnarok seen through the yes of an ancient shaman.

The essays include examination of the Norse creation or origins story, of the magician in or against the world and a chaoist’s magical experiences looked at from the standpoint of Northern magic.”

From a Germanic standpoint in fact, I would suggest this book overall, unless you have an interest in connected breathwork, then I suggest both.

Even having had taken classes from Dave, I still can’t wait to read his new book, because there’s always something more one can learn, and I guarantee you, Dave is one of the best authors I’ve ever read.

That’s not all the writing I have read from Dave Lee, I also have read his book on Wealth Magic, and his blog.

Also, he shares experiences others have had taking classes with him, and connected breathwork isn’t the only lessons he has to teach.

I aspire to be as talented a writer as he someday, his blog is mightily entertaining for several reasons.

Whether he writes about his traveling excursions to Ireland for a two-day walk, he shares stories from a magician who passed away who shares about using teddy bears for magical purposes, or his many in-depth book reviews, from chaos magic, to fantasy, to psychedelic reviews, there are no shortage of good reads.

In fact I spent many days reading through his blog posts, and I assure you there is much wisdom to be gained by doing so, plus as I’ve mentioned it’s highly entertaining, even if you have no interest in magic, because he’s that well written.

Speaking of aesthetics, Dave also gives tips on what colours to use for certain magical purposes, such as wealth magic.

A Rune Song Worshop, well worth checking out for anyone reading that I know are heavily interested in runes, bind runes, and galdr!

A very touching and equally practical article Dave wrote about Philip Harper who has sadly passed away, but can still teach us from beyond by making use of his writings.

So when I told you that I literally spent days absorbing the wisdom from Chaotopia.com, if you take a gander at his blog, you will instantly reveal the plethora of magical teachings at our disposal.

Don’t take it for granted, there is a term called hamingja in Old Norse.

It’s part of our body/mind/soul complex, it increases one’s luck with good actions.

Don’t be a dick and steal Dave’s work via the use of PDF’s.

He gives away plenty to read for free on his website, and if you find it as useful as you should, then you easily will want to support him, instead of stealing from him.

It’s hard enough as a writer working our way through the world, especially with a niche topic, yet alone having to fight off would be friends who help thieves make a living, instead of paying tribute to the actual source themselves, the true authors!

Instead, report the bastards who do such a thing, otherwise, before you know it, there won’t be any more invaluable resources like Dave provides, because writers simply won’t be able to make a living, if no one supports them.

Hope you enjoyed reading, I truly hope you get lost over at Chaotopia.com, and as always, Grasp Fire!

They also have songs entitled Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit, two very popular songs they perform, and are very worth listening to, and more folk style, along with a cover song of Uriah Heep called The Wizard).

“I’m the wizard, I will change it all” sang by Kai Hansen (not the whole song, just those lyrics), from Helloween and now Gamma Ray!!!

Which, by the way, PUMPKINS UNITED WORLD TOUR 2017/2018, you WILL want to check that out by clicking on either of the bands names above.

You also might want to sit down first if you’re not already because it’s some amazing news to say the least.

“Valhalla – deliverance,

Why’ve you ever forgotten me?”

Ah, those words hit home, for me and fans all across the world!

After seeing them live especially, but even if you never do, watch it on DVD and you get a slight understanding how powerful they are.

How about Skalds and Shadows?

Wikipedia says: “”Skalds and Shadows” is sung from the point of view of an Old Norse Skald with an allusion towards the Saga of the Volsungs (specifically the story of Sigurd and Brunhilde) at the end”

There’s one of the sagas I mentioned in my last blog post, Volsunga Saga!

“Songs I will sing Of tribes and kings The carrion bird And the hall of the slain Nothing seems real You soon will feel The World we live in Is another skald’s Dream in the shadows”

With lyrics like that from Skalds and Shadows off Twist in the Myth, if you haven’t bought this album yet, I’m not sure we can be friends.

The pictures alone are worth owning the albums, yet alone the magnificent music.

“Destiny A spinning wheel The path of glory Round and round come join us On your final ride to Asgard Let’s move on fast allfather waits So let’s heed the final call”

There are other grand Germanic bands worthy of checking out.

From Fire + Ice, to Helsott, two of my favourites, the first folk, the second pagan metal, to Amon Amarth (Viking metal) and Waldruna (folk), both very popular of late, and they too have got into the forefront of American pop culture, what with the show Vikings becoming quite popular, it’s great to see artists who truly celebrate the Germanic culture.

There are great Germanic bands out there, worth seeking out!

Do it, and enjoy the rich Germanic culture found within!

You can bet music was very special to our ancestors, and you can also surely bet that I will definitely post more blogs like this, not quite a review, but some love for Germanic artists!

You can also check out some videos I’ve done on YouTube by searching Grasp Fire, and I would love some comments. What are some of your favourite Germanic artists? Feel free to send me an email, mathew@graspfire.com.

Most that I have spoken to prefer it room temperature, as for me, well usually I only have a shot before meditation, or drink it from my drinking horn.

Truth be told though, if I’m lucky enough, I prefer a glass warm with spices, as I have a room temperature glass at the same time!

It’s not very high alcohol content, two glasses won’t give me a buzz, but it’s still a nice feeling, and great tasting stuff.

Although I don’t drink for a buzz myself, everyone’s tolerance to alcohol is different, so do be careful before attempting two glasses yourself.

That being said, let me explain the word Óðr courtesy of Norse Mythology for Smart People: (Óðr is generally translated as something along the lines of “divine inspiration” or “inspired mental activity.”)

* Odin in eagle form obtaining the mead of poetry from Gunnlod, with Suttung in the background (detail of the Stora Hammars III runestone)

I can see why mead seems to be representative of inspiration, and that’s precisely the reason I prefer a shot before meditation, or performing a blot, certainly a customary drink of our ancestors!

This link will inform you of what I speak, the divine mead of poetry which Odhinn does seek!

I hear it’s not very difficult to brew yourself, and there’s plenty of resources, as well as materials online.

Sadly, you might have to look around for mead, as not everyone carries it, but if they do, it will be in the wine section, unless you get lucky enough to have a meadery nearby, which is quite possible!

Well worth seeking out, drink what Odhinn drinks, as well as our ancestors, and on Vikings!

If you can’t find mead, you can always order it online, just like most things these days.

Some folks are lucky enough to have a meadery, where you can find many local meads of various flavours.

As for me, I very much look forward to trying me some huckleberry mead!

My favourite so far is just good ol’ honey, but I’ve had conversations, and seen pictures of all types of mead, made from various fruits.

I would love to get some engaging conversations going in the comments section, whether it be about making mead yourself, the sagas, Vikings, Heathenism, or whatever might be on your mind.

I do ask that we have some sort of order, although I think I’m much more lenient than a lot of folks nowadays, which could get me into trouble 😉

I very much look forward to reading Michael H. Kelly’s book Dread Souls, which delves into the topic of the undead from an interesting perspective, a fantastic author.

You can also find Michael at Patreon, which is a wonderful way to support an author!

That being said, some of my favourite undead/vampyre films/shows in no particular order are: Interview with a Vampire, Underworld (I can only vouch for the first two in the series), Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula, True Blood (mixed feelings), Let the Right One In (don’t bother with the English remake, make sure you watch the Swedish original), The Lost Boys, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Subspecies (a little corny-ish, I actually really enjoyed the second one, haven’t seen the first yet, but I plan on it!).

I’ll stop there, since I’m not really trying to make this a list, but I will delve into the very few books I’ve read, which are: Interview with a Vampire (highly recommended, personally), The Vampire Lestat (also grand), and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (superb).

Besides that, I’ve read a good bit of fan fiction writing on vampyres, and a lot of myths, legends, so on, and so forth.

I recently joined goodreads, which is a great site for authors and readers alike!

For you book nerds, fans of a genre or author, goodreads is a great place to actually (potentially) interact with a lot of authors, or other good folks who share similar interests.

This was a novel idea to me (no pun intended?) because I tell you what, after publishing Grasp Fire, I began to realize interacting with folks is the ONLY way for an author to potentially thrive in this world where we have so much information thrown at us that we couldn’t possibly avoid it unless we lived in a forest without electricity. (Not a bad idea)

Anyways, vampyres are awesome creatures.

Living dead, right there I’m sold.

Immortality, no early mornings, no bothering with the heat anymore, except for that cramped coffin that seems to be a staple for our beloved undead creatures of the night. Speaking of which, how many cool nicknames do vampyres get!

Creatures of the night, ‘count’ me in!

The “rules” vary slightly from book to book, mythology to mythology, but they usually share some of the same traits listed depending, I.E. crucifix, coffin, mirrors, hell even sometimes sun is up for debate.

If you didn’t know, some cultures would have a rope tied to the recently deceased, with a bell that would warn people if they were trying to rise from their graves… Seemingly at least.

I’ve read some compelling modern stories about folks coming back to life, after “being dead”.

Books/movies like Twilight take away from the older films and stories, with little to no occult references (that I’m aware of), and shining in the sunlight doesn’t do it for me.

While Bram Stoker’s tale was essential romantic, it certainly focused on the nec-romantic parts a lot more.

They have no respect for the mythology of vampyres. Read up on good ol’ Bram Stoker. He uses actual history (The Impaler Vlad Tepes, “real Dracula”).

I would gladly take The Munsters over Twilight any day of the week. Subspecies might be corny, but at least it’s dark, has some Occult aspect, it’s eerie, frightening, makes you feel like potentially sleeping with the lights on, things that a vampyre film or book should do.

Twilight was just a cheesy teenage story that got out of hand.

I read the first book, while being better than the film, still wasn’t that great, to me at least.

Obviously a lot of folks digested it somehow.

I tried, but as big a fan as I am of horror movies, and vampyre film and literature, I couldn’t get into it.

Elizabeth Bathory is another historical figure worth looking up if you’re not familiar.

Bands like Venom have made a song about her, and there’s even a band named Bathory, both of which have arguments for being at least amongst the top black metal bands.

If you want to hear about some Norse tales of draugar, I suggest you check out this link from

Weird Web Radio which is a great website dedicated to paranormal stories, well worth a listen!

Christopher Alan Smith, featured in that podcast interview, is a fantastic author.

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One might think the faster, and the more you read, the more you absorb, and the wiser you shall become, more quickly.

Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not how it works, although there is certainly nothing wrong with reading a lot. It’s more the quick part I am talking about, and taking enough time to absorb, and to use, what you have read.

Slow down.

We live in a world of “instant gratification”.

People don’t want to wait in line.

We are so spoiled by our cell phones delivering us volumes of books that we would otherwise have had to collect over a lifetime, that we don’t appreciate what is before us, in our pockets!

No, I am not being perverted, I’m talking about your phone still, although they can also take someone down other roads if that’s what you seek.

No, I’m not going there though, maybe someday.

Anyhow, what I do mean is that last night I was reading the splendid book Norse Goddess Magic, by Alice Karlsdottir, who, to quote her website which you can find by clicking her name, “Alice Karlsdóttir is a writer, actor, and musician. Her long-time involvement with Scandinavian mythology and folklore influences her work.”

I have listened to all her radio interviews I am aware of which can be found at YouTube, and always find her to be enlightening, and so very relaxing, that it’s quite enjoyable to listen to them over, and over.

Even more so when the interviewers read her book first and keep the questions on topic.

Imagine that.

What I read from her book was the chapter on Eir, the Norse Goddess of healing, and how when Tyr sacrificed his hand so the Gods could secure and bind the great wolf Fenrir, that Eir attended to his wounds.

Really, that doesn’t give justice to her book, and you need to check it out to fully embrace why it had such a profound effect on me.

No, we don’t need to speed up the process of learning, we just need to stay true to ourselves, stick to our guns, take one step at a time, and surely, eventually, we will find ourselves atop the mountain of wisdom that we sought from below.

Where once seemed like an impossible feat, has now become reality.

So it is!

If you’re new to meditation, yoga, learning the runes, magic, studying the paths of your ancestors, take your time.

Don’t rush it, instead embrace it, find all the ways you can to truly be at one with yourself, and your ancestors!

They are speaking to us, if only we would take the time out of our busy lives to slow down for a minute and listen.

All the answers you seek are right in front of your nose, and this time I don’t mean your cell phone, although that too can enable you to find some good reads, if only you seek them out, instead of being spoon-fed or giving up.

Perseverance is the key, in anything we do!

Just like me trying to write a blog a day or around there, eventually, it will take off!

So too can your spiritual learning, your readings, your ability to stretch a little more to fully attain that yoga pose you’ve been trying.

If you push yourself too far, you will strain your muscles, so instead wait, do the yoga poses you can for now, stretch a little tiny bit further every day, and just wait, soon enough you’ll find yourself reaching your goal.

It’s so much more worthwhile that way too, when a single paragraph from a book, like Alice’s, can fill your whole day, or week even, with thoughts that inspire poetry, songs, or just dance in your little head, and fill your face with a smile.

Now that is the way of our ancestors, so you can’t tell me it’s better to have some modern-day company brainwashing you, then rune staves our ancestors carved from long, long ago.

Personally, I take runes hands down.

I am huge on following the way of your ancestors.

Not of Germanic heritage, no problem!

Every culture has secrets just waiting to be rediscovered!

Go out, start reading the more reliable sources you can find, ask your family if you can, or someone you know that might be able to help you in your quest to become closer to your ancestors!

They live on in our blood, they guide us in our journey through life.

All we have to do is simply listen, or learn to listen.

The supernatural is actually very natural, we just have learned to build up walls in our minds to block out what is natural.

Through electricity, technology has cut us off somewhat from being an integral part of nature.

Embrace your environment.

Even if you’re not of Germanic heritage, English is a Germanic language, and so, seeing that you speak English, since you’re reading this article, you have reason right there to learn Germanic culture, if it behooves you.

Like I mentioned above, if not, then absolutely go embrace your culture.

We are all beautiful creatures, filled with energy, and we all have origins.

Don’t let the media tell you it’s bad to love who you are, because they are trying desperately to push their global agenda, and do exactly that.

If they can cut us off from our roots, we are easier to control, manipulate towards their disgusting ends.

No, that cannot happen!

No matter who you are, you have a beautiful history.

Sure, history is filled with wars, but we should not forget all our ancestors that have sacrificed so much to bring us here!

Childbirth itself is a huge sacrifice to bring us into this world, without our ancestors that wouldn’t have happened. Don’t let them be forgotten, instead honour them through song, and dance, and learning their history!

There are so many little things that we do without knowing, and so many more things that we can do once we become aware of what our ancestors’ ways were.

Make some Norwegian flat bread, it’s quite good, I’ve made it several times now.

Learn the English Morris dance, or a new language that your ancestors spoke, or how modern English is of Germanic origin.

Your heritage is beautiful and should not be forgotten, just like our ancestors!

That being said, regardless of race or religion, would you really want to be a part of anything so absolute, that you have to agree with it, or else?

Or else, they will flip the game over, so that no one can play, since they didn’t win, even though it was fair and square? (until they flipped the board over)

No, of course not.

We are taught at a young age, no one likes a sore loser.

That’s exactly what a lot of folks are doing right now.

Oh, I didn’t win, so guess what?

I’m going to flip the game board over, so that at least if I didn’t win, you can’t win either, because “you don’t deserve to win.”

Well, the old saying, win the battle, lose the war, should be taken to heart.

You might have won now, but I will come back and win later.

Hey, that’s not a bad attitude.

Embrace that you lost, learn from it, grow from it.

I’m a strategist.

I love strategy board games, Stratego being my favourite.

Chess is also fun, and I await the day I get to play “Viking chess” or properly called Tafl.

Playing with the best, makes you better.

Imagine if you’re on the last place team in sports.

Should you drop down, to a lower level of competition, so that you can shine, and get all the glory that you feel you deserve, or should you keep at it, and have the true glory, when the underdogs surprise everyone and finally become victorious?

How did you obtain this victory?

Because you stuck with the highly-competitive folks, you watched, you learned, and you grew from it, fair and square.

You didn’t give up.

There is a lot to say for perseverance.

Sometimes that’s all it takes, other times, it’s still not enough.

At least if you don’t give up, if you put up a fight, fair and square, it shows that you’re not a poor loser.

You respect the game, the competitors, and yourself enough to say, hey, I lost, but I gave it my all.

I will learn from my mistakes, from my competitors, and I will do better next time.

Now, imagine this attitude, of knocking the board game over, and apply it to politics, or religion.

That is precisely what’s going on in certain factions lately.

“Only the Sith deal in absolutes”

Wise words from Star Wars.

Regardless of what ideology it is, the fear of eternal punishment shouldn’t be someone’s selling point for spirituality.

However, convert or be killed, is a far cry from that, and we shouldn’t be afraid to say that.

How could anyone believe in something that doesn’t give you a choice?

This is right, or else.

That sounds a lot to me like, if I don’t win, I’m going to flip the game board over, so that you “can’t win” either.

Well guess what?

If someone is bound to win in a game against you, and you flip the table over, they still won.

Extreme liberals are being much the same.

If we remove history, it never happened.

Really?

Somehow that doesn’t seem like a very good idea, since, like I said in my last blog post, we are supposed to learn from history, as to not repeat it, not deny that it happened.

Just because you sit in the corner of a room, with your hands over your ears, humming so you can’t hear, and something horrible happens… It still happened.

That’s the kind of logic that’s being used by removing statues, by giving in to terrorism.

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In Germanic culture, Ginnungagap is described as the void of nothingness, and all potential, where all life sprang forth, perhaps as a big bang type theory. (The first big bang, or one of many?)

Was it the beginning? I won’t go into that, but it’s the Norse creation myth of Glfyaginning, where the hot fire of Musphelheim, meets the cold ice of Nefelheim, in the middle of Ginnungagap, this black hole, which waits for us, each time we close our eyes, sleep, and perhaps even die.

Dr. Stephen Flowers suggests in his wonderful book Runelore (Samuel Weiser, 1987), “An Odian does not seek the mystery of dagaz at the center but rather at the extreme borders.”

Dagaz, the 23rd of 24 runes in the Elder Futhark, which is the letter D, but also stands for day/night, to be very superficial about the meaning. To find out more, I suggest you purchase Edred’s book Futhark, which is a great place to begin learning about runes as there is unfortunately a lot of misinformation on them online.

William Blake is one of the greatest poets and painters ever. Born in England, in November 28, 1757, in Soho, London, Great Britain. He was a huge influence on me growing up, and has obvious Germanic influence, perhaps via Anglo-Saxon tradition, since he was English, but I’m only guessing.

In The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Blake suggests that: “Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.”

Think about it. If we all had the same opinions, felt the same way, for Gods sake, we would be mindless robots, or dare I say, zombies.

A difference of opinion is expected, demanded even, by whatever has put us all together in this puzzle.

Even if you attend the same school, come from the same region, Hel, even if you have the same parents, still you absolutely have differing opinions somehow.

There are no two people whom are exactly the same, nor should there be expectactions for that to happen, it’s ridiculous to even consider the possibility.

That aside, humans have their own opinion, regardless of their upbringing, to whatever large or small extent.

Why can’t modern folks comprehend that?

I always took pride in the fact that I at least try to see things from a different perspective. How does the bum on the corner feel, having to beg for food? Was he a victim of a war, that left him unable to deal with loud noises, due to his PTSD from an I.E.D., and so now must beg on a street corner, where society mostly leaves him alone? (At least hopefully, if it’s negative). Don’t judge a man or woman until you’ve spent a day in their shoes.

Am I always right? Hel no, of course not. No one is. In fact, being wrong is crucial to human development. Without being wrong, first off we would probably be so bored of life, well honestly I can’t even fathom the consequences of such a world.

Being wrong is a great and valuable teacher. We need to be wrong, more so, we need to see the error of our actions and thoughts, so that we can grow from our mistakes.

We learn very early on in life, the point of history class is so that we don’t repeat history, and instead, learn from it!

Well, how in the Hel is that possible, when we get rid of history, to try and ‘cover our tracks’, as if a certain part of history didn’t happen, and that will make it all better.

Doesn’t that make it worse? Isn’t that offensive to every being that took part of that time in history?

Right or wrong, good or bad, it happened.

In Germanic culture, the present moment is built upon the past.

The past is set in concrete. It happened.

That’s why history is so important.

It happened.

You can’t just pretend, and suddenly an alternate reality pops up in which that part of history is wiped clean, and some new, greater achievements took place.

People need to get over themselves, and this ridiculous need to share how offended you are by everything, which has really exploded lately, in truly insane proportions.

The removal of Confederate monuments, are you even kidding me?

First of all, I’m guessing that most of these folks which are complaining about the Confederate flag, are not very enlightened in history to begin with.

Leaving that to someone else, as there is plenty of places one could be enlightened on the subject, if they were so inclined.

Remember, “to the victor, goes the spoils.” In this case meaning that who wins, gets to write the history books, or re-write them in some cases.

First off, I am not a Republican, definitely not Democrat. I am a conservative person, although I keep an open mind. Again, life has gray areas. It just does. Nothing is perfectly labeled, especially us human folks. Sure, it’s easy to pretend that’s true, but it’s simply not. I figured I would mention that, before you read on.

Recently some extreme left virtually attacked President Trump because he ‘didn’t know the start of the American Civil War.’

Ironic, because the folks who thought themselves to be all high and mighty, were actually wrong about the ‘truth’.

Oh sure, they know the ‘truth’, that the history books would teach them. To the victor, goes the spoils. The winners get to write the history books. Of course it’s not going to have a fair view. You’re talking about a war that was fought brother against brother, father against son, uncle versus nephew. It should never be forgotten. Why? First of all, if you’ve read any of this article, you will hopefully remember that pretending to forget history, doesn’t fix it, doesn’t make it go away, doesn’t do anything really. Nothing good at least.

Things are never as clear and simple as they seem. Are you telling me, that from 1865, at the end of the American Civil War, that everyone was completely racist, until finally in 2017, we got ‘salvation’, when we ripped down some Confederate monuments, took down Confederate flags, and stopped American Civil War museums from being open, since there isn’t any artifacts?

What a great victory, we have covered up history. Yeah, that’s a good idea. As with other stories I read, liberals are painting themselves akin to Isis, in a sense, ripping down their statues, trying to cover up, ‘forget’ history, instead of learning from it, and asking how, why did people feel this way, or did they?

What really was the beginning of it all, that started the bloodiest war in American history, on American soil?

(Perhaps besides Wounded Knee, or any other slaughtering of Native peoples, although some of that happened outside of an officially recognized war).

Just because an opinion isn’t popular, doesn’t mean you’re wrong. Just because facts aren’t popular, doesn’t make them false. The adverse is just as strongly true.

I’m not suggesting people shouldn’t use their voice. Just remember, there are people you know, friends, family, neighbors, fellow countrymen and women, that voted for the other guy, whether it was Obama, Trump, or any other president, or senate member.

All I’m saying is, there will always be a difference in opinion. People should be allowed to speak freely. If we lose that, what next? If a comedian can’t make fun of this, that, or the other; if a writer can’t talk about something that’s “too taboo”, What’s next? That leads us toward a dark and dangerous place, my friends.

I would much prefer having friends, and family, and fellow countrywomen and men who are free thinkers, who prove me wrong, so that we all can grow in whatever direction we do.

Disagreements are natural, and opposites attract. (To whatever end).

James Allen Chisholm’s English translation of the Havamal says: “Let a man not be boastful about his wisdom, but watchful instead. The wise and silent are seldom harmed when wary in the hall. A more trustworthy friend, a man cannot have, than understanding.”

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Imagine you’re a local grocery store owner of 25 years. You live in a small town, having mostly the same clients, some of which have become very good friends, or are family. You have a produce department, and you try to only help out local farmers, taking pride in buying only the best, most organic fruits and vegetables for your clients, getting to have more than just a business relationship with these farmers, but knowing them personally too, having even gone so far as to visit their farms where the foods are grown. Then, suddenly one day you get told by officials that it’s no longer fair if you only take in fruits and vegetables that have past your inspection, but you must take in foods from unknown origins, that have not been tested for quality, nor are you aware under what conditions these foods are grown. Whether they have been grown using pesticides, which ones if so, how long they have traveled, and you are forced to sell these foods, regardless of how you feel to this new unfolding situation. You oblige, feeling you have no choice, because that is what you have been told. Then, suddenly in a short amount of time, you find that these untested fruits and vegetables from unknown origin have indeed been using pesticides, but it doesn’t stop there. Diseases. That’s right, suddenly you begin to discover that the foods from your local organic farmers who you’ve trusted all this time, suddenly are developing strange diseases that you’ve never seen before in all your time as a grocery store owner. You know you can trust the local farmers, as they have treated you well all your 25 years that you have been in business, then suddenly it dawns on you. The imported foods have been diseased, and now suddenly all the food which you have in stock is all suffering from this unknown disease. Was it caused by pesticides, growing conditions, insects, animals, human contamination? Not only can you not find out, but, much to your chagrin, you are baffled to find out that these same officials which made you stock this food of unknown origins, but that you must continue to do so, still without any further testing to ensure the future of your own foods, that local farmers, who have gone through all the rigorous testing all these 25 years have had to do. Why would all the local farmers go through all the trouble that they have all this time, once they finally discover how business now operates? If someone else doesn’t have to go through the testing, grow their foods in the same natural conditions that these farmers have had to do, why on earth would any of the local farmers continue to uphold their integrity? More so, how would they even be able to keep doing things the way they have been this whole time, when this food from unknown origin is also cheaper. While you, the store owner, is completely against selling these fruits, the same officials that made you stock this food, also warns you with strict sanctions if you even speak out to anyone publicly about this strange food from unknown origin, even though you have complete and utter proof that they are diseased, and spreading the sickness to the rest of your once organic stock of foods? What would you do? You’ve been a good person your whole life, taken pride in stocking the safest, healthiest, most organic foods for your clients, friends, and family, but now have been warned so strictly to speak against these diseased fruit, and forced to continue stocking them, still with no testing? Doesn’t seem right to me either.